TUNED IN: Steady as she goes

While most music venues in the area seem to be hibernating this weekend, the Trocadero is rolling out a couple of great low-key shows for anyone in need of a fix. Tomorrow night, the ’90s-inspired twosome Voletta brings their wave of noise style to the venue. Joe Sheairs was kind enough to take a few seconds to chat with me in advance of his gig.

Q: You guys incorporate ’90s influences in your music. What about that decade of music has made such an indelible mark on your style?

A: About five years ago some guy came up to us after a show and said, ‘You sound like 1995.’ I don’t totally agree with that, but I think the ’90s elements we carry forward are the relationships between loud and quiet parts of songs, some of our guitar tones and some of the depressing lyrics. But depression isn’t really a ’90s thing — it’s universal.

Q: Being a two-piece, I could see it being either a) awesome to play music alongside one of your best friends or b) a formula for butting heads and conflict. What’s your take on the dynamic of the duo?

A: Creatively, being a two-piece makes things very easy. When it comes to carrying all of our equipment to shows, that’s where being a two-piece is not that great!

Q: You guys have been together for just about five years now — how does experience and time spent playing together influence the direction of the band?

A: I think it takes time to really know someone musically. On our 2011 EP, “Soft Focus,” Andre and I were just starting to write together and we put those songs together very quickly. With our new album “Unplayed Tapes,” we literally spent 16 months doing nothing but writing and developing those songs. I think the end result is much better songcraft.

Q: In your estimation, how important is social media to a band?

A: It matters to a point. I can’t say we spend that much time on it. We spend most of our effort on songwriting, because if your songs are terrible, it won’t matter that you have 5,000 Facebook fans.

Around town

Surprisingly enough, a self-described death metal band doesn’t have any qualms about gigging around the holidays. Guitarist and vocalist Chris Kelly of Alustrium rationalizes by saying it’s good to be booked, regardless of when the date happens to fall on the calendar.

Q: You guys describe your style as “death metal.” For the uninitiated, what does that genre represent?

A: It’s funny because while we seem to have adopted that label over the last few years, I’m willing to bet most diehard death metal fans would disagree with that title, especially when it comes to the material we’re currently tracking for our next record. I think it’s more accurate to say that we have death metal influences or overtones, more so than a true death metal sound. That being said, I’m probably not the best source for what being a death metal band truly means, but if I had to put any kind of definition to it, I’d say it’s a type of music that, no matter how big it becomes, will always be connected with the underground. I think it’s got something to do with the fact that bands within that genre usually make a conscious effort to stay true to themselves and find a comfortable balance between writing the music they want to write and not alienating their fan base as it continues to grow.

Q: I know I get cranky when I have to work around the holidays. Is it annoying to have to play shows around Christmas and New Year’s? Do you resent that everyone else is at home relaxing while you’re busy performing?

A: I mean, we’ve all got our good days and bad days, but I don’t think any of us have any objections to playing shows around the holidays. As far as we’re concerned, anything that’s not family time, school time, or work time, is band time. We love playing shows and sharing our music with people. Obviously, we like having breaks here and there, but this is what we want our lives to be and it would be sort of counter-productive to be pissed about having gigs.

Q: It seems like being a musician goes hand-in-hand with nonstop practicing. What’s your band’s approach to practice? Do you have any tricks to keep the songs fresh and interesting to yourselves?

A: In total honesty, you’d be surprised at how little we practice! It’s not like a conscious decision — we can just never seem to find a set day of the week that always works for everyone. We mainly just know when we’ve got shows coming up and schedule rehearsals around them just to prepare. We’ve all got our own individual practice habits, but as a band we can be a bit disorganized when it comes to scheduling full rehearsals. Sometimes I wonder how we’re able to get on stage and play a good set after weeks of not even seeing one another, but I’m certainly not complaining.